


Letters

by AgeOfAlejandro



Category: STXI - Fandom, Star Trek (2009)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Minor Character Death, Stalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-21
Updated: 2011-08-01
Packaged: 2017-10-26 20:25:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/287487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgeOfAlejandro/pseuds/AgeOfAlejandro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a prompt on ST XI kink meme: All the crew get fanmail, because of their cuteness and famousness. Jim loves it, Chekov gets more than anybody, Spock thinks it's illogical, Scotty gets sent lots of sandwiches in stasis units. McCoy doesn't get much, and when he does he blushes like a schoolgirl and gets teased mercilessly by the others.</p><p>But what happens when McCoy starts getting weird stalkery ones? Ones that are sent from places the Enterprise has docked recently?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_**Letters 1/?**_  
 **Title:** Letters  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Fandom:** STxi  
 **Disclaimer:** That I need one ought to say something, yeah?  
 **A/n:** from [this](http://st-xi-kink-meme.livejournal.com/15838.html?thread=16004318#t16004318) prompt on ST XI kink meme: 

 _All the crew get fanmail, because of their cuteness and famousness. Jim loves it, Chekov gets more than anybody, Spock thinks it's illogical, Scotty gets sent lots of sandwiches in stasis units. McCoy doesn't get much, and when he does he blushes like a schoolgirl and gets teased mercilessly by the others.  
But what happens when McCoy starts getting weird stalkery ones? Ones that are sent from places the Enterprise has docked recently?_

  
"Ooh ho ho!" Scotty eyed the sandwich in stasis before him with glee. "I think this one's an _egg salad_ sandwich! I haven't had one since I was in Glasgow last."

Jim watched his second officer reminisce on that sandwich, a far away look in his eyes for a long moment. "You gonna eat it?"

Scotty's eyes whipped to meet Jim's. "Aye, Captain. It's my sandwich, isn't it?"

"You're just starin' at it," Leonard pointed out. "If you're gonna eat it, do it before Jim does. He's got a hollow leg, and he'll take it if you're not careful.."

"I would _not_." Jim said indignantly. "And just," he drawled, in a fair imitation of his CMO's own accent, "because _I_ can eat whatever I want and you can't, Bones, is no reason to be mean."

Leonard's eyes narrowed. "Shut up, Jim." He looked back at Scotty, who was still staring at his sandwich with pleased, wide eyes, and added, "Never mind, don't eat it yet. Lemme make sure it's not poisoned or something."

Scotty had by now learned that it was useless to argue with Leonard McCoy unless your name was Jim Kirk, and he surrendered his sandwich, watching it like a hawk.

"I'm not gonna eat it, Scotty," Leonard told him. "Or let Jim," he said and ignored Jim's faux-pouting. "I actually don't even know why I'm letting you eat it."

"Because it's a gift?" Scotty asked. "And it's rude to throw away gifts, as I'm sure your dear sweet mum taught you."

Leonard grunted in response. "Yeah, well, it's also probably been sent from Earth and that's a damn long way away. Might have gone off between here and there and I don't want you in my sickbay with food poisoning. It'd be easier on me if I just made you throw it away, gift from rabid fan or not."

"Sarah's not rabid," Scotty said. "She's nice! And she makes me _sandwiches_ , Doctor. A lass like that wouldn't dream of poisoning anyone."

Jim gave Scotty a look. "You probably shouldn't encourage her."

"It's rude not to thank people," Scotty replied. "I can't just leave her hanging."

"Then thank her and tell her you're going into deep space or something so she stops sending you food," Jim said.

Scotty sighed and muttered something that resembled "yes sir" as he watched Leonard examine the sandwich.

Eventually, Leonard deemed it fit to eat and returned it to the engineer. "I should make you eat salad for dinner to make up for this."

"It _is_ a salad, Doctor," Scotty said, a tad smugly.

"It's eggs and mayonnaise and pickles; that's not a salad."

"Sarah puts lettuce on it."

"If I put a bridle on you, does that make you a horse?"

Scotty chose to eat his sandwich instead of replying.

Leonard rolled his eyes, and there was a burst of laughter on the other side of the mess, where he discovered Chekov had received a package of what looked like ladies underwear, and Sulu looked like he was about to fall off his seat from laughing so hard. Chekov was redder than a boiled lobster and Leonard nudged Jim. "The Russian kid's still getting panties."

"Why can't _I_ get panties in the mail?" Jim asked with a mock sigh.

"Because I'll make you throw them away?" Leonard asked rhetorically. "That's unsanitary and I will not have them around. And you get enough fan mail anyway."

"Speaking of which, are you still getting those creepy ones?"

"You mean the ones asking me to send my unwashed drawers to a PO box on Risa? Yeah, still getting 'em. Don't know how to stop it, either. Wish our emails weren't so easy to guess."

"At least they are all emails. If they were showing up at Jocelyn's, you might have more cause to worry."

Leonard shuddered. "God forbid. I think I'll have to warn Joss."

Jim pressed his thigh against Leonard's. "Good idea and I'm sure they'll stop soon," he said soothingly.

"'Soon' is not now, which I'd like it to be."

"Hey Joss," Leonard greeted when his ex-wife answered his comm.

"Hello, Leonard," she greeted back, cocking an eyebrow. "Joanna's at ballet practice right now, but if you call back in two hours, you can talk to her."

It had been to his joy that Jocelyn had made it easier to talk to their daughter in the wake of the Nero incident, and he nodded. "Will do, but I called to talk to you."

"What for?"

"I've been getting disturbing emails from someone, starting after the battle and they haven't petered off since shipping out." Leonard sighed. "And I thought I should warn you. They're starting to get graphic and I have no idea where the messages are coming from. I wanted to give you a heads up, just as a safety measure."

Jocelyn nodded. "Does Jim know?"

"Yeah. He's not happy, but not too worried about my safety. Neither am I, but I'm worried about you and Joanna. It's probably unnecessary, but just to be safe, I thought I should tell you."

"I'll be sure to let Clay know, and I'll ask everyone to keep an eye on Joanna."

For most of his life, Leonard had hated living in what was basically a hamlet in the middle of nowhere, but for the moment, he was grateful. Between them, he and Jocelyn were related to or knew half the county and Leonard himself was related to most of the town. Joanna was in safe hands.

  
Two days later, a message pinged into his inbox. Leonard had gotten wary of opening messages what weren't from either Star Fleet or addresses he knew, but after scanning it for malware, he hesitantly opened it.

 _Dear Leonard,_

 _Have you sent those boxer shorts like I want you to? Did you cover them in your hot, sweet come and bag them up tight? When I get to Risa, I hope they're there. I love you, Leonard, and would love to know what you smell, what you taste like. I'm dying to make love to you. I want you to fill me up and never let me go._

 _Love,  
Jesse_

And then another one.

 _Dear Leonard,_

 _Why don't you ever answer me? I've been sending you messages for weeks now, and you have never replied. Do you doubt my love, my sincerity? What do I need to do to prove it to you? Because I'm very serious. I love you, I want to marry you, and I want to build a life with you. I'll even join Star Fleet for you! I'm an aviophobic, just like you were, but I'll do it for you._

 _Please answer me._

 _Love,  
Jesse_

  
He ignored it, and that's all there was for a while from Jesse. He got other letters, too (mostly joking marriage proposals), as did Jim and Sulu, Chekov now owned more panties than all the panty-wearing females on the ship combined, and Scotty was going to get fat from all the sandwiches. Even Spock got letters, which, fortunately, Nyota mostly found amusing.

"Keptin," Chekov asked a week or so after the last note from Jesse. "What should I be doing with all of the panties? I feel it is being rude to throw them away, but they are troublesome."

Leonard thought it was hilarious, how earnestly distressed the kid sounded. "Chuck 'em."

"The ladies who sent them are never going to know, Chekov," Jim added. "So you can throw them away."

"But Keptin, I will know! I will know that I threw them away and I will feel _bad_! Shipping is expensive and they spent the credits to send them here."

"Yeeeah," agreed Jim. "But they're piling up, aren't they? You won't be hurting their feelings because they'll never know you threw them away." Chekov still looked conflicted and Jim sighed. "If I ordered you to throw them away, would that solve your moral dilemma?"

There was a pause, and then the kid nodded. "Yes, Keptin, it does."

"All right. Throw them away and that's an order."

"I don't know how Sulu does it," Leonard remarked as Chekov departed, leaving the two of them in Jim's ready room. "I think I might have killed him in the first ten minutes."

"Maybe he's getting some."

Leonard reached out and smacked Jim. "Did _not_ need that mental image. Besides, Sulu's seeing Gaila and Chekov's sniffing after some guy in sciences."

"Why do you know this?" Jim asked. "Because for someone who bitches about gossip, you sure know what's going on."

"One of the many benefits of being a doctor, Jim," he said, lip curling slightly, "is that I either hear or am told things I really could have done without knowing. We've been out for a month and I can already tell you which ones of your crew are going to be brining back STIs that I'm going to have to cure on our first shore leave."

Jim wrinkled his nose. "Great."

"Tell me about it."

Jim sat up properly and shifted, stretching luxuriously. He smiled slyly when he caught Leonard watching him interestedly, and tilted his head toward the door. "Shall we?"

  
 _Dear Leonard,_

 _I can't believe you're not answering my messages! I love you, don't you see that? If you don't answer me TODAY I will fucking kill myself!_

 _Please, please answer me,  
Jesse_

Leonard paused and decided to comm Jim.

"My stalker is threatening to kill themselves."

"Oh."

"I'm going to reply this time, because I don't want that death on my hands, and I'm going to CC you and possibly Spock," Leonard said, resting his head on a propped up palm.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It's only going to encourage this," Jim pointed out, and Leonard knew he'd be frowning.

"It's that or have that death on my head."

Jim sounded unhappy. "I...suppose. This worries more, Bones, than the other stuff."

"I know. It worries me, too. I don't want to engage this person, but I also don't want him or her to commit suicide. I'm a doctor, Jim. We try to prevent those."

A sigh. "I know. I'm going to email the appropriate people and I'll give you an address to forward to, too."

"All right," Leonard said. "Thanks."

"No problem," Jim replied.

 _Jesse,_

 _Firstly, please don't kill yourself. I strongly advise you to seek counseling. The desire to commit suicide because someone you are interested in does not pay attention to you is very unhealthy and_

Leonard paused. What the hell should he say? Frowning, he started at the screen before starting again.

 _it would be best for you to seek help. Second, please do not contact me again._

 _  
Dr. Leonard H. McCoy_

Leonard stopped and re-read his message, trying to decide if this was the right thing to say. Minimizing the window, he went back to work until Jim messaged him with the email.

 _Bones,  
FrancisLOleander@starfleet.mil  
^ A guy Chris Pike knows in security. Chris says he's big on stopping this kind of shit._

 _Jim_

Leonard sent the message and CC'd both Jim and Oleander, and hoped that this was the end of the story.

  
It wasn't.

  
[Part two](http://scriblerusday.livejournal.com/21525.html)


	2. Chapter 2

_**Letters 2/?**_  
 **Title:** Letters  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Fandom:** STxi  
 **Disclaimer:** That I need one ought to say something, yeah?  
 **A/n:** Stalkers do sometimes really go from love to all-out rejected rage. Please to be seeing RL cases. From [this](http://st-xi-kink-meme.livejournal.com/15838.html?thread=16004318#t16004318) prompt on ST XI kink meme: 

 _All the crew get fanmail, because of their cuteness and famousness. Jim loves it, Chekov gets more than anybody, Spock thinks it's illogical, Scotty gets sent lots of sandwiches in stasis units. McCoy doesn't get much, and when he does he blushes like a schoolgirl and gets teased mercilessly by the others.  
But what happens when McCoy starts getting weird stalkery ones? Ones that are sent from places the Enterprise has docked recently?_

  
[Part One](http://scriblerusday.livejournal.com/21011.html)

A few weeks went by, and Leonard heard neither from Jesse or Oleander (aside from a note back informing him that he was on the case). He hoped Jesse, whoever he or she was, hadn't committed suicide, but he was glad that there were no more emails.

And then, just as he relaxed, there was one.  
 _Dr. McCoy_

 _I am - or was - Jesse's brother, writing you to tell you that Jesse killed himself three weeks ago, after you broke his fucking HEART. Snapped it in two and ground it into dust, treating him as if he were worthless, like he was a waste of space. ALL he wanted was your love and your attention, and you wouldn't give it to him!_

 _I'm going to hurt you like you hurt him. I'm going to tear your life apart and gut you._

 __

 _  
I'm going to start with your daughter._

 _Jake_

Leonard promptly forwarded the message to Oleander and to Jim, and placed a comm to Jocelyn. A crisp video of his ex-wife and her new husband, both looking very dignified and professional, flickered on to his screen when no one answered. Clay's image said, _You've reached the home of Jocelyn and Clay Treadwell. Please leave your name and link, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible._ _Thank you._

Leonard shook his head, agitated and wishing he could talk to them properly to soothe his fears. "It's Leonard. I just got another message - from someone claiming to my stalker's brother, now that he's supposedly killed himself - and in it was a direct threat to Joanna. Please, _please_ watch out. After the last message, Chris Pike got me in touch with a guy in security - Francis Oleander - who's big on stopping this kind of thing, and I just forwarded him the email I received the threat in so he knows about it. It's possible he'll contact you - Oleander, not the stalker - so I thought I should give you his name. Anyway," he sighed, "please stay in touch. If anything makes for feel remotely uneasy, let me know. If he doesn't do it himself, I'll get Oleander to contact you. Stay safe."

  
Oleander commed Leonard for the first time shortly after he had forwarded the message. He was a large man, broad shouldered and barrel chested, with serious eyes and a gruff, no-nonsense air about him.

"I don't think Jake is Jesse's brother," he said without preamble.

"Me either," Leonard agreed. "Probably a defensive thing."

"Mhm," Oleander agreed. "We're attempting to track the address down, without a whole lot of luck in actually pinning the person down. So far, we've found he's used it from several planets, Risa and Earth among them, and the Jake message was sent from Earth. Where is unknown, however. We'll be in touch with your ex-wife and I'm going to ensure that the local police force are aware of the situation."

"Thank you," Leonard said with a nod. "I appreciate it."

Oleander nodded back. "No problem. Please continue to forward me any messages you receive. Oleander out."

After that, other people started to get emails, all of which were forwarded to both Leonard and Oleander.

 _Dear Captain Kirk,_

 _Did you know that your CMO is a murderer? Did he tell you about what he did to Jesse? He wouldn't love him, and Jesse killed himself because of it. Made a noose and took a flying leap out of a tree with it around his neck._

 _Jake_

 __

 _Dear Admiral Pike,_

 _You've got a murdering CMO in your fleet. His name is Leonard McCoy. And you should fix that. Send him back to Earth for trial._

 _Jake  
_  
Leonard had gotten an email from Chris, letting him know that he would damage control as much as he could, should other admirals start getting messages as well. Leonard was, for the thousandth time, incredibly grateful that Chris had taken such a shine to Jim and, by extension, him, because the last thing he needed was the admirality breathing down his neck over a lie, especially so early in his career.

 _Dear Mrs. Treadway,_

 _I wish Dr. McCoy had loved my brother, because then I wouldn't have to do this. You are so beautiful and it's a shame I'm going to have to kill you. Those locks your new husband is installing on the door as I type this aren't good enough, I'm sorry to say. Please understand that this is not your fault, but his. He has to pay for not loving Jesse._  
 _  
Jake_

Leonard nearly had a heart attack when Jocelyn sent him hers, with a separate message to him. _There were poppies and irises on my doorstep yesterday morning. We may be moving, out of state if we have to._

In the early stages of their courtship, Jocelyn had insisted that he learn and use Victorian flower symbolism, and if he remembered correctly, poppies were symbols of death in general and irises that of women specifically. It made him nervous and he wrote back.  
 _I will sign whatever documents you need me to if it comes to that. I'm so sorry, Jocelyn._

She replied immediately via instant message  


 **  
**

  


  
 **JTreadwell:** _It's not your fault, no matter what the psycho says._  


  


  
 **LHMcCoy:** _I still feel like it is. How is Joanna? Does she know?_  
 **JTreadwell:** _She's fine. She knows something's up, since we've asked her to be very careful and to stay close to adults she knows, but we haven't given her details and she's accepted the new rules without complaint._  
 **LHMcCoy:** _Good. And I really mean that. Short of giving up my paternal rights, whatever you need me to sign, I will._  
 **JTreadwell:** _You may be the biggest jackass in the galaxy sometimes, Len, but I wouldn't ask that of you. I'm hoping we don't have to move._  
 **LHMcCoy:** _I hope so, too. McCoys have been in that town since before the American Civil War, and I don't want the last one to have to leave._  
 **JTreadwell:** _:) I have to go pick up Jo. I'll be in touch.  
_ **LHMcCoy:** _All right. Tell Jo I love her, please. Be safe  
_ **JTreadwell:** _We'll try. Bye Len._  


  
Leonard relaxed infinitesimally and then a message pinged into his inbox.

It was from the now-familiar email, and there was an attachment..

 _Hello, Dr McCoy,_

 _Your daughter is so pretty. I wonder what she'll look like when I kill her._

 _Jake_

The attachment proved to be several pictures of Joanna, both at home, playing with her dog in the yard, and on the playground at school. One of the pictures had been skillfully photoshopped, showing Joanna pale as death himself and surrounded by a pool of blood. The bottom of the image read **_JOCELYN TREADWELL IS NEXT_** in large yellow letters. Leonard leaned back in his chair, jaw clenched as he forwarded this to both Jim and Oleander, adding (DISTRESSING IMAGES ENCLOSED THIS TIME) to the subject before firing it off. He felt his stomach twist into knots and dreaded telling Jocelyn. 

[Part three](http://scriblerusday.livejournal.com/22506.html)


	3. Letters

Leonard had to wait six or seven rings before Clay answered, looking angry and out of sorts, and several alarm bells went off in Leonard's head. Clay was a large man in ways that Leonard had never been, and he was used to being a protector. But Jesse wasn't something he could protect Jocelyn and Joanna against, and it left him off kilter and all the angrier for it.  
"What?" he ground out.  
  
"I need to talk to Jocelyn," Leonard said and then paused. "Is everyone ok?"  
  
"Your stalker killed my dog. And broke into my house! He moved almost everything around - the sofa, Joanna's toys, the fucking blender. Just to let us know he's here. That he's watching and can do what he wants with impunity."  
  
"Fuck," Leonard muttered, eyes widening as he sucked in a surprised breath. "But Jo and Joss are unharmed?"  
  
"Yes, but Joanna's inconsolable. The fucker gutted the dog and left bits of her along the walk up to the front door."  
  
Leonard rubbed his face. "Jesus Christ. I need to talk to Jocelyn, because he's sending me disturbing shit that just backs all of this up."  
  
"No," Clay said, curling his hands into fists and shifting his stance. "You aren't going to talk to her."  
  
Leonard narrowed his eyes. "Fuck you, Clay Treadwell. This concerns my daughter's safety and her wellbeing, which includes that of her mother. You're a third party and you can get the hell out of the way so I can talk to my daughter's mother." When Clay didn't move, he resorted to hollering, deliberately phrasing it in a way to set Jocelyn's feminist hackles up. "Jocelyn! Your controlling asshole of a husband is refusing to allow you to talk to me!"  
  
His ex-wife appeared around a corner, Joanna wrapped tight in her arms, and she glared at Clay as she approached the screen. Very gently, she pried Joanna off and left her to talk to Leonard while she quietly scolded Clay on the other side of the room.  
  
"Hi, Jo," he greeted softly.  
  
Wet tear streaks striped her face and her eyes were red when he looked up at him. "Hi, Daddy."  
  
"You doin' ok?"  
  
"Somebody killed my puppy," she said quietly, tears leaking down her face again. "And Momma won't let me in my room and she made us go stay with Luke until Clay could come get us." She looked so frightened and not for the first time, he wished he could be there to scoop her up and hold her close. "Daddy, what's going on? There's gotta be something y'all aren't telling me and I'm scared."  
  
Joanna really was observant for a seven year old. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry I can't be there with you," he said, fighting to keep his tone soothing, because letting worry or fear into his voice would only scare her more. He gave her a sad, lopsided smile. "I'll have to let Clay be there for me, since I can't. Make sure you listen to him, ok? He wants to keep you safe just as much as your momma and I do. And yes, there's something going on. Your momma and I need to decide what to do about it and that's part of why I called." Being able to talk to her both soothed him and made it harder not to resign and go back to Georgia. "I love you."  
  
"I love you, too, Daddy. Are you gonna tell me what it is?"  
  
"I don't know. I need to talk to your momma about that, too, and probably Clay." They'd have to talk in shifts, if they wanted her not to know.  
  
"Is Jim there?"  
  
Leonard blinked for a moment, surprised. He knew Jim and Joanna had taken to each other immediately, but he hadn't thought it would extend this far. Perhaps she wanted a distraction, and Jim certainly was just about the most lively diversion Leonard ever did see. "He's still at work but," he glanced at the chronometer near the screen, "he should be off in few minutes. Do you want me to call him?"  
  
Joanna nodded and sniffled as Leonard messaged him.  
 _Me: Joanna wants to talk to you. The situation with the stalker has escalated and I think she wants you to distract her. Could you come up right after your shift?_  
 _Jim: Shit. Sure thing. Be there in ten_.  
He looked up and gave his daughter a reassuring smile. "Jim will be here in ten minutes, ok?"  
  
"Ok," she agreed quietly.  
  
Shortly after that, Jocelyn came back and shuffled her daughter off to Clay. Leonard watched them interact with mixed feelings. He was a good stepfather, but Leonard still thought of him as a homewrecker to some extent. Leonard's marriage had been over long before they filed for divorce, but it still hurt to know that Jocelyn had taken up with the other man pretty much the moment they started batting the idea of getting one around. And Clay got to see Joanna every day. He sighed mentally. Leonard was on the cutting edge of his field, doing something important and that he loved, and he had Jim. All that didn't quite outweigh the fact that he didn't have Jo but it came close enough that he was content.  
  
Or could be, if not for the guillotine hovering above Joanna and Jocelyn's necks and the prospect of loosing his entire career again if this blew up in his face.

  
  
When his ex-wife had settled on her couch, Leonard got a good look at her. She was pale and drawn, and even over a vidcomm he could practically feel her vibrating with anxiety.  
  
"I expect we're gonna need to include Clay in our discussion," he said before she could open her mouth. "Joanna basically asked for Jim to distract her, which he's happy to do. Is that ok?"  
  
"Sure," she said with a sigh. Leonard noticed the tension bracketing her mouth and eyes. "So, what did you call about?"  
  
"Having heard what Clay said, it almost seems trivial now," he replied, "but I got an email threatening Jo again, and he included pictures of her, at school and there at the house. One of which he photoshopped to look like she was dead, and he threatened you in the same one. I've sent it to Jim and Oleander, and I can forward it to you, too, if you want."  
  
"Send it to Clay." Jocelyn looked vaguely ill. "I don't want to see it. I saw bits of a six-month old puppy on my sidewalk this afternoon, and that's more than I can take." There was a loud beep beep, indicating that there was a second comm on the line, and Jocelyn squinted briefly at the number. "It's Oleander. Three-way comm ok?"  
  
"Yeah," Leonard said. "That would be a good idea." He leaned forward to mess with his control as she did the same, and the screen was split, images of Jocelyn and Oleander side by side.  
  
Oleander raised an eyebrow. "Am I intruding?"  
  
"No," Jocelyn said, shaking her head. "I was going to get in touch with you very soon, so it's perfect."  
  
Jim appeared at Leonard's elbow and Oleander's other eyebrow rose to meet its twin. "I see we have the whole gang here tonight."  
  
"I'm mostly here to distract Joanna, Commander," Jim said. "And maybe help with the planning, if need be. Give us a second please," he added as Jim! echoed through the living room. "Hey, Jo!" he greeted back as he and Clay maneuvered his comm off the main screen and to PADDs.  
  
As soon as Clay saw his step-daughter settled in an inside corner of the room, he returned and filled Oleander in while Leonard retrieved the message Jesse had sent that afternoon to send to Clay.  
  
Oleander's face twisted with worry when Clay described coming home to see things rearranged and how he had grabbed the phaser he kept by the door and gone through the house, with Jo and Jocelyn on his heels.  
  
"You should move," the Commander said firmly. "There's no way you're going to be safe there and I have little doubt he'd probably bugged your home more thoroughly than anything outside an embassy. Lock up the house, throw any valuables in the safe, if you have one, and take nothing but the clothes on your back. Doctor," he added, looking at Leonard, "pick a place only you and Mrs. Treadwell would know about and give us the coordinates while I organize an escort. I'll meet the Treadwells and your daughter there and get them set up for the time being."  
  
Leonard paused in thought. "Remember that old swimming hole Larry used to take us to?"  
  
"Yeah," Jocelyn agreed, a smile touching the edge of her mouth.  
  
"All right, keep going three kilometers east on the main trail, if you remember that." He eyed her, waiting to see if she knew which one he meant.  
  
She did. "The one we used to four-wheel on?"  
  
"Yep," Leonard agreed. "Right where it peters out to asphalt, there's the place we used to eat dinner at the nights we went four-wheeling. Meet there."  
  
"Gives him lots of room to tail us," Clay said doubtfully, even as Jocelyn nodded. "In the dark no less."  
  
"Mr. Treadwell," Oleander interrupted, an eyebrow arched, "I believe I said something about an escort, didn't I? Your local sheriffs are coming out right now, and they'll do a sweep of the area, including your garage and car. They will take you there to meet myself and a relocation team."  
  
"Thank you," Leonard told him. "You've gone to an awful lot of trouble for one little Georgia family and I can't thank you enough."  
  
Oleander gave him a nod. "You're welcome. Politically speaking, you're much more than one little Southern family, McCoy. You're one of the heroes of the hour and we can't let anything happen to you and yours right now. But politics aside, I understand what it's like to be in your shoes and I will do my best to protect your family."  
  
Leonard nodded back. "I appreciate it."  
  
The Commander flashed him something that sort of resembled a smile.  
  
Joanna had crept up to the adults unnoticed, still clutching the PADD she was talking to Jim on. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on?"  
  
"Jo, we have to go on a trip, ok?" Jocelyn said, as if she were talking to a much younger child, and Leonard would ordinarily have been amused by the annoyed, stop-patronizing-me look on his daughter's face but now was not the time for it.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"We don't know," Clay said, watching the door carefully as footsteps began to sound, closing in on it.  
  
"Is this because of that thing you were talking about, Daddy?" Joanna demanded.  
  
"Yes, Jo, it is. Go with your Momma, please, and don't fight it. It's really important that you do what she says." He held back a sigh as both Treadwells and Joanna stared at him stonily. "I didn't give details, just that there was something going on. She already knew it and I figured it'd be better to let her know something about the situation so she doesn't dig her heels in."  
  
"You should tell me more," Jo said angrily. "If I hafta move, an' I know that's what this is 'cause I heard the guy, I wanna know why."  
  
Leonard looked at Jocelyn, who looked back, equally unsure of where to go. Because they both knew he was right; Joanna was pig-stubborn and forcing her to do things always turned out badly. "Ok, Jo. You know how there are bad guys out there?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well, one of them is out there and he wants to hurt people, especially people who are also McCoys. We're trying to make it so he can't hurt you," Leonard said carefully.  
  
"Is he the one who killed Link?"  
  
"Your puppy?" Oleander interrupted. "Yes. Does this make sense now?"  
  
Joanna nodded, looking tearful again as the Commander turn to speak to the Treadwells. "She was just a puppy," she mumbled. Leonard heard it as clearly as he did only because Jim was sitting practically at his feet.  
  
"Oh Jo," Leonard said, moving to sit on the floor with Jim to talk to his little girl. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"'s not your fault, Daddy."  
  
He nodded. "Doesn't mean I'm still not sorry." He dug up a smile from somewhere and coaxed Jim into sharing the PADD. "It'll be ok, Jo. We're going to do the best we can to make sure you're safe, ok?"  
  
"Ok, Daddy," she said miserably. "I miss my puppy."  
  
"When things are all settled again, do you want us to get you another one?" Jim asked. "Because my cousin breeds the cutest puppies ever and I bet he'd let you come pick one out, if you wanted to."  
  
"Link was the cutest puppy ever," Jo said. "I want her back."  
  
Leonard placed a restraining hand on Jim's thigh and squeezed lightly to let him know he wasn't upset. "That can't happen, Jo," he said gently. "Remember Ruby, your first fish?"  
  
"Yeah." Joanna sniffled and the urge to wipe her adorable, if runny, nose was overwhelming.  
  
"Do you remember when your momma helped you hold a funeral for her?"  
  
"Mhm." She started to bury her face into the couch cushions, muffling her voice. "Over the toilet."  
  
"When you have time, you could have a funeral for her like you did for Ruby," Leonard suggested. "And you can tell us about Link right now, if you want."  
  
Joanna shook her head. "I'll just cry and I don't want to cry right now," she said.  
  
"Ok, darlin'," Leonard said. "How are you feeling otherwise?"  
  
"Thirsty. And my mouth feels like I've been eatin' paste or somethin'." She wrinkled her nose and left the PADD on the couch as she hopped off, presumably to get water.  
  
Leonard dragged Jim off the floor and they sat in silence, shoulder to shoulder, watching the main screen as Clay and Oleander talked to Luke, Leonard's cousin and the head of the sheriff department. Luke waved at him and took off his hat.  
  
"Bringin' trouble to my town, are we?" he asked, attempting for humor and falling flat.  
  
It rubbed Leonard the wrong way and set him off. "Good thing they don't pay you for your comedic skills, makin' light of a serious fuckin' situation," he growled. "And Luke Lance Taylor, don't you ever say shit like that to me again or I swear to God almighty I'll rip your fuckin' throat out. " Luke tried to interrupt, probably to apologize, but Leonard steamrolled right on over it.  
  
"Did you see what that bastard did to my little girl's dog? Cut her up into pieces and left her on the lawn for Joanna and Jocelyn to find! He has threatened them in every fuckin' message he's sent me - every fuckin' message, Luke - for months. And he's been tryin' to damage my career at Starfleet, which is the last goddamn thing I need right now. So I would appreciate it if you damn well started taking this seriously and stopped fuckin' around!" Leonard snapped.  
  
And then there was a piercing scream and the sound of breaking glass, followed by a human yell of pain and the shattering of good crystal as all the adults physically in the living room lunged toward what was presumably the kitchen. Joanna barreled into her mother's arms, crying and clutching at Jocelyn like a lifeline.  
  
Several minutes later, Leonard realized he was probably crushing Jim's hand and he let go. Jim immediately rubbed his fingers and pressed his knee against Leonard's instead. "She's ok, Bones" he murmured, close to his ear. "Joanna is alive and well - just scared. She'll be ok."  
  
If there was something to be said about Luke, it was that he was really good with kids. So, after he radioed the rest of his team, he knelt down next to Joanna and spoke to her softly, simultaneously soothing and coaxing her into telling him what she had seen. Faint sounds of phaser fire echoed through the room and Jim subtly wrapped an arm around Leonard and pulled him close, resting the PADD on their knees. Leonard took the comfort that was offered and squeezed his thigh again.  
  
Eventually Luke turned to speak to them and to Oleander. "It looks like Jesse was intendin' to shoot her, and wanted to get up close and personal to do it. She threw the glass she was drinking from at his face and he bolted. My team chased him, there was a brief exchange of phaser fire, as I'm sure you heard, but he got away." He looked regretful and apologetic. "I'm sorry. Wish we'd gotten him. Almost did, but then he jumped on a hovercycle and escaped."  
  
Leonard nodded. "Thanks. Any of your men injured?"  
  
"Nope, thankfully."  
  
"Did you get a description out of the girl?" Oleander wanted to know.  
  
"Pale, brown hair, looked real mean and had big phaser," Luke replied, and Leonard was fairly sure he was offended on Joanna's behalf for being referred to so callously. "She's seven and scared. You don't get real good descriptions out of terrified children, Commander. Wait until she's calmed down before you try, since I know you will."  
  
Oleander looked vaguely annoyed, but said nothing.  
  
"Luke," Leonard called. "Would you pick the small PADD on the couch and give it to her?"  
  
"Sure thing," Luke agreed, and a moment later, Joanna was clutching the edges of the PADD and looking at them with wide eyes.  
  
"Daddy," she whimpered. "I want you to come home."  
  
Leonard swallowed. "I wish I could, honey, but I can't. I'm way out in space and it would take me a long time at warp speed to get home, even if I was able to. I'll try to talk to you every day, though. We're still in a place where we can," he looked sideways at Jim for confirmation, and when Jim nodded, he looked back at the screen. "Is that ok?"  
  
Joanna nodded. "I guess."  
  
He gave his daughter a smile and nod. "You're gonna be movin' today and it'll be hard and weird, but it's important that you listen to your momma and Clay, ok? Can you do that for me?"  
  
She nodded, too, and looked up at her mother. "We're doin' it today? Then we better pack up," she said when Jocelyn nodded.  
  
Jocelyn shook her head. "We can't take anythin' with us."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because he might have put stuff in our things that would let him track us," she replied. "And we don't want that."  
  
"Can we take Loopie, though?" Joanna wanted to know, "He's just a stuffed bunny."  
  
"He wants to hurt us, Jo, and he might have put somethin' in Loopie that might let him follow us."  
  
Leonard was glad that Jocelyn liked Jim when his boyfriend tried to help the situation. "Remember when we watched those spy movies?"  
  
"Yeah," Joanna said with a nod.  
  
"Remember when Dr. Kirill put that little machine in Jack's brief case that let him follow Jack?" When she nodded again, he told her, "It's like that. You've got someone on your tail you want to loose, just like Jack did. And you can't bring anything along that might let Dr. Kirill find you."  
  
"Even Loopie?"  
  
"Even Loopie," he confirmed. "Maybe you can convince your mom to buy you a little brother for Loopie soon, though."  
  
"Yeah," Joceclyn agreed. "When things calm down enough, and Commander Oleander," she pointed at the side of the screen the Commander could be seen on, "has found us a place to stay until we catch our Dr. Kirill, we'll get you a little brother for Loopie. Does that sound good?"  
  
Joanna nodded. "Ok."  
  
Clay returned from putting everything they wanted to keep away somewhere (Leonard would find out later that there was a safe in the basement), and at Oleander's direction, they said goodbye to Leonard and Jim, walking out the door for a safer place.  
  


* * *

* * *

It was a week before Leonard was able to talk to Joanna again, and she now had the little brother for Loopie (named Jack) and seemed to be relatively calm.  
  
"Everything ok there?" he asked, idly rubbing his foot against Jim's knee as they lounged on the couch in Jim's quarters. "Liking Montreal?"  
  
She nodded. "Yep. The people keeping an eye on us are real nice and everything's been quiet. It's cold here, though."  
  
He chuckled. "You got Southern blood, just like your Daddy. Everywhere is cold to folk like us."  
  
"I remember you whinin' about San Francisco bein' cold, yeah," Joanna replied, a little bit of a twinkle in her eyes.  
  
"I didn't whine!"  
  
"That's what Jim called it."  
  
Jim looked up from his PADD at the sound of his name. "You did, too. It doesn't even freeze there."  
  
"It does, too, just not often," Leonard corrected. "And you're from Iowa, land of the ice and snow," Leonard replied with a sniff. "Your definition of 'cold' is different from those of us from better climes."  
  
Jim rolled his eyes. "I think the land of the ice and snow is Scandinavia, but ok."  
  
Joanna smiled at her father and they continued to talk as Jim went back to his PADD, chiming in occasionally with tidbits to supplement Leonard's stories or to tease Jo with bits of her own. But as the conversation wrapped up, he stilled. Leonard frowned slightly before finding another for Jo as they ended the comm.  
  
"Make sure to call back, Daddy, y'hear?"  
  
"I will, baby," he promised and smiled at her again when she said 'McCoy out!'. He turned to Jim. "What was that?" The man was perpetually in motion, and stillness never boded well.  
  
"Got another email from our friend Jesse," he said tightly. "Guess he really did have that house bugged, because there's no way he could have known about this otherwise."  
  
"Known about what?" Leonard asked, shifting to read over Jim's shoulder.  
  
Captain Kirk,  
  
So you were stealing the Doctor's attention from Jesse? Very well. I'll have to punish you, too, because it's you're partly to blame for his death. And I hope you don't pop the question. I don't plan to let you live long enough to see it through.  
  
I also believe there was a conversation about puppies.  
  
Jake  
  
"Shit. I need to talk to Matt."  
  
"Who? And what's this about 'poppin' the question'?" Leonard was wary and getting angry. The second most important person in his life was now being threatened, because of one fuckhead.  
  
"My cousin who breeds border collies," Jim said as he got up to look for something, riffling through the mess of books and PADDs on his desk. "I think he's planning to hurt Matt's dogs. And apparently your cousin Luke's wife has been asking her if I'm going to make you an honest man."  
  
"That's presumptuous," Leonard said irritably. "I'll have to talk to Michelle. Hardly the kind of question to ask a child."  
  
"Yeah. Aha!" Jim said, pulling free a blue PADD. "Need to find Matt's email so I can warn him."  
  
"Couldn't you comm him?"  
  
"He never answers the comm. Ever. It's in his kitchen and he's either in his office in the barn or out with the dog all his waking hours. But he's really good about answering emails quickly," Jim said, dropping down next to Leonard again and typing furiously.  
  
"What did you tell Joanna when she told you about what Michelle said?"  
  
"That we hadn't talked about it," he replied, eyes still glued to the screen. "Now's not really the time."  
  
"No," Leonard agreed. "It's not. Make sure you forward the email to Oleander."  
  
"First thing I did," Jim said. He pressed the screen once and sat back. "I hope he can't find Matt. Those dogs are his livelihood."  
  
"Prestigious breeder?"  
  
"Yep. One of the best on the continent." Jim nodded. "That's what my mom's side does, breeding things. He does dogs, Mom does strange plants, another cousin does horses, et cetera."  
  
"If your cousin Matt's that good, there's a high chance that he'll find him," Leonard pointed out.  
  
"I know. Hope without delusion, Bones," Jim sighed. "I warned him. I hope it came soon enough." He looked over at Leonard. "When he's caught, we really should get her a dog from him. Border collies are a great breed. Smart and good with kids, and he trains them well."  
  
"They sound expensive."  
  
"They are, but family and-or I-saved-your-dogs discount, Bones. And they're worth it."  
  
"Let's talk about that when we get there. Right now, she can't even go home, much less keep a dog," Leonard reminded him.  
  
"Point," Jim agreed with a sigh. He leaned in to kiss Leonard and murmured, "It'll be all right," before kissing him again.  
  
"I hope so," Leonard said when they broke for air. "And thanks. You've been real helpful throughout this ordeal."

  
"'Course," Jim agreed, resting his hands on Leonard's shoulder and rubbing his over the end of the clavicle under his fingers. "I love you, don't I? That's what you do for people you love."  
  
Leonard found himself giving Jim a smile. "Still, I appreciate it. And I love you, too."


	4. Letters

_**Letters 4/5**_  
 **Title:** Letters  
 **Rating:** Now possibly an R  
 **Fandom:** STxi  
 **Warning:** character death, disturbing imagery.  
 **Disclaimer:** That I need one ought to say something, yeah?  
 **Unnecessarily long A/n:** So, we have no idea what the post system in the ST universe is like (or so my research says), so I had to bullshit. I know barcodes and POSTNET are increasingly common, at least in the US, but a) this is personal correspondence, and I don't know about you, but I'm not expecting to have to print out a barcode/POSTNET in order to send something anytime soon and b) that seems like an awful lot of trouble to print it out when you can just write an address with a pen.  
Many thanks, as ever, to [](http://hyde-the-body.livejournal.com/profile)[**hyde_the_body**](http://hyde-the-body.livejournal.com/)    
Also, people are fucking dumb, especially narcissistic people with no social skills.  
    [ Part three](http://scriblerusday.livejournal.com/22734.html)

  
There were more emails from Jesse to both Leonard and Jim.

 _It's a shame I'm going to have to kill Joanna, Dr. McCoy. Otherwise I could have seen her pursuing a career as a pitcher. That was quite a throw; please tell her I said so. And I don't really begrudge her that, if it means anything. She's a sweet thing and it's a natural reaction, trying to defend yourself. In her shoes, I probably would have done the same thing._

 __

 _If only, if only Captain. It's too late to run now, I feel I should tell you._

 __

 _  
I hope you don't think that this is going to stop me, Dr. McCoy. Your little girl can run, but she can't hide. For very long, at least._

 __

 _  
You know, I think I like you anyway, Captain. Brave, intelligent, good looking. If only you hadn't stolen the attention of Dr. McCoy, which rightfully belonged to Jesse. I 'll try to make it a clean kill, since I like you so much. Which is more than I'll be doing for Mrs. Treadwell. She's a whore for cheating on the good doctor. A cheap, tawdry little whore; the proverbial Jezebel. And whores deserve no mercy._

 __

 _  
You could have had a perfect life with Jesse, Dr. McCoy. He was a wonderful man. Perfect. He was brilliant, clever, and handsome. He loved you so much and you were perfect for him, being yourself brilliant, clever, handsome, and very successful. If you had only listened to him when he said you were meant to be, none of this would have been necessary. But it is, because you and your Captain killed him._

 __

 _  
I thought about killing you, Dr. McCoy. Thought long and hard about it. Do you know what occurred to me? It would hurt you so much more if I kill everyone you love and leave you untouched. I'm going to kill your daughter and your thieving Captain, and I'm going to cut them up into teeny tiny bits and strew them all around your hometown. Sheriff Taylor will be the one I leave the Captain's pretty blue eyes to, as I expect he'll make sure you get them. And I think I'll indulge in the good old Southern tradition of lynching when it comes to Mrs. and Mr. Treadwell. And Joanna will watch; I'll even send you a recording of the whole thing. How does that sound? Would you like to see Jezebel hang? See those pretty blue eyes bulge and and roll as she's strangled, fading to nothing? You must have a thing for blue eyes, since both Jezebel and your Captain have them. And I know I'll enjoy watching those pretty blue eyes of his die, when it comes time.  
By the way, getting Starfleet involved was a mistake. Now it's a personal challenge! How many ways can I get at you between the bars? How many ways can I force your family into a cage? And if you think they can outrun me, even with Starfleet's help, think again._

 _They cannot hide from me. I am Death himself, and I catch everyone eventually._

 __

 _I like your cousin, too, Captain. He seems like a nice man and it's too bad he's gotten caught up in this. If only you hadn't been in the way._

The last two messages result in a flurry of emails between them, Oleander, Matt, and the Treadwells. This is the first detailed threat toward Jocelyn and Clay that has been issued so far and the ominous promises implied in the message about Matt make them all wary.

  
Jim and Leonard were off duty and lounging in Jim's - unofficially, their - quarters, and it had been a busy and Jesse-free month since the last message and they felt they had earned some down time. Jim was idly waiting in the doorway for Leonard so they could head down to the mess when they got a comm. It was Jocelyn, and she was as drawn and pale as she had been that last night in Georgia.

"He found us again."

Leonard moved closer to the screen. "What?"

"He," she said, looking both nauseous and weary, "is sending us frozen puppies in the mail. No return address. Just dead animals in a box, and we got three of them today."

Jim's eyes widened. "Is this the first day? What kind of puppies?"

"Yes and I don't know. He skined them first, and I initially didn't know what they were exactly, but Clay said they're puppies. Or were."

Leonard grimaced in disgust and Jim looked ill. "I need to talk to my cousin," he muttered before moving to riffle through the disaster zone that was his desk.

"Oleander knows?" Leonard asked. "And did Joanna see them?"

"Yeah, he knows. He's also moving us, and no, Jo didn't see any. Clay said they were real young - a few weeks old, max - and I think she might have cried harder than she did when he killed Link, if she had. Why does Jim need to talk to his cousin?" she asked with tired curiosity.

"His cousin Matt Beaulieu breeds Border Collies, and Jesse is aware of the conversation Jim had with Jo about getting one from him someday."

"So now he's going after people who have no idea what this is about? Because of peripheral connections to people in your life?" Jocelyn was starting to look angry, even under her exhaustion.

Leonard half turned, not wanting to look at the woman whose life he was indirectly destroying because he had a stalker. He crossed his arms and chose to watch Jim hunt for his PADD instead. "Rational, _sane_ people don't stalk, Joss. He just as easily could have gone after Luke and his family because he's related to me, but he chose Matt instead."

"Why?"

"Because he's Jim's favorite cousin and if Jo gets a puppy from there, it'll make her happy, and therefore make me happy, and that's not something Jesse is willing to allow," he said, watching Jocelyn out of the corner of his eye. "Fuck," he muttered and rubbed his face. "Please comm me when you get to the new place." He looked back at the vidscreen.

Jocelyn nodded. "Of course."

  
When they ended the comm, Jim was tapping furiously on his PADD, eyebrows creased with worry, and Leonard leaned on the couch next to him again. He paused as something occurred to him and then scrambled for his own PADD.

Jim looked up, slightly annoyed at the noisy shuffling of PADDs. "What?"

"I don't think I sent Oleander one of the early messages, the one with the PO box address on Risa," he replied, becoming annoyed with Jim's cluttered desk and dumping empty glasses on top of the nearest book shelf as he contemplated just shoving everything off the desk all together. "Why do I leave my PADDs on here?" he asked himself aloud. "I know it'll get lost in the mountain of crap."

"Probably," Jim agreed, watching him with interest. "Do you think Oleander can get the holder's name out of it?"

Leonard nodded distractedly and said. "If I recall, what I hope is his actual fucking _name_ is on it. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. I had what might be the key to stopping it all this time and I didn't even think about it," he added irritably before yanking his PADD free with an "aha!" He dropped back on the couch next to Jim and started fishing through his inbox, hoping like hell he hadn't deleted the message.

  
There was a long stretch of silence while he went through months of messages and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Found it," he said, leaning over to show Jim.

 _Jesse Hatcher  
PO Box 759430  
Nuvia, Risa 8570 DT_

"I never thought I'd say this, but thank god for idiots," Leonard sighed.

Jim chuckled. "Even if that's not his real name, that's a hell of a lead."

Leonard nodded. "I wouldn't be totally surprised if it is. Stalkers are sometimes narcissists, and expectin' me to give up my entire life for him is a pure expression of that," he said as he forwarded the address to Oleander. Putting down his PADD, he pulled Jim close and sighed. "I hope this is over soon."

Jim shifted and kissed Leonard's neck. "Me, too. I'm worried about Matt and I bet those puppies were his."

"Probably," Leonard agreed. "And that was disgusting."

"Yeah," Jim said. "Yeah, it was."

Oleander jumped on that address immediately, comming them a few days later with news, looking inordinately pleased. "Jesse Hatcher's his real name and he hasn't been reported dead."

"So it's defensive like we thought?" Leonard asked.

"Yes," Oleander agreed. "Now that we have a name, it becomes an issue of tracking him down. Which is a difficulty in itself, since he has the entire Federation and beyond to hide, but better than we were before."

"You figure he'll stick close to Jo and Jocelyn, if he can?"

"I would be willing to say that, yes," Oleander said with a nod.

Leonard sighed. "What's the next step?"

"If your daughter was of age, I'd perhaps suggest using her to lure him. With careful protection, of course, since we also know what he looks like now." Oleander, uncharacteristically so far as Leonard knew, wrinkled his nose. "By the way, we found several social networking profiles of his, and almost all of them list you has his partner."

"That...that's creepy."

"Typical of stalkers, though."

"Right," Leonard said. He sincerely could have done without that knowledge, however.

"What charges do you want to press?" Oleander asked. "You could get him for stalking, harassment, and a couple other things. I expect Mrs. Treadwell will join you in any charges you wish to press for assaulting your daughter and threatening her life. Just based on his attempt on your daughter, we could put him away for life. We got blood from when she threw the glass at his face, by the way, so that will help. Even if a court didn't buy that, with all the other charges, he could be locked up for centuries. If, that is, a court counts every email and dead puppy and symbolically-rich flower arrangement.  Even if they aren't, between you all and just threats and stalking, you can get him for up to ninety years."

"Yeah," Leonard said. "All of them that I can press. I'll talk to Joss and Captain Kirk and Matt." Jesse Hatcher had made his, and that of others, hell for close to a year. He threatened the lives of the two most precious people to him, made an actual attempt on his daughter's life, and threatened Joss and Clay and Matt. He might not love Joss anymore, or even particularly like her or Clay, but they were important people to Jo and Matt was Jim's favorite relative. "We'll get back to you."

Oleander gave him a decisive nod. "I'll keep you keep you appraised of developments."

When the commander signed off, he sagged in relief against his chair. Thank god. Thank god Jesse Hatcher was an unmitigated idiot and a narcissist to boot.

  
There was utter silence from Oleander for weeks. And then it turned out that it didn't matter because Jesse found a new way to communicate with them.

  
Jim returned to his quarters to find that he had missed two comms, one from a number he sort of recognized and one from Oleander. He had learned in light of the last few months to keep his personal PADD away from his disaster zone of a desk, and he reached for it to search the number.  
It was Matt's. Matt _never_ fucking commed anyone. He flipped the vidscreen on to watch the message.

Matt was seated on a chair in his dark, fucked up kitchen (the man was a neat freak) with his arms tied back, and he looked bloodied and beaten. There was a black eye developing and blood leaked from a slash at the corner of his mouth. A dark figure behind him with a StarFleet grade phaser pressed to his head, who jabbed his sharply with it and Matt whimpered. "H...hi, Jim," he greeted, looking terrified. "Jake wants me to tell you to call off the 'Fleet." He swallowed convulsively and the person behind him chuckled. "Or else he'll kill me."

Jim's stomach dropped out and he could only stare in open-mouthed shock as he watched the phaser nuzzle Matt's temple, almost lovingly, as the figure gently ran his fingers down the side of his face.

Then Jesse proved himself a liar and shot Matt before leaning down to the vidscreen. He tilted his head and chuckled again. "Too bad about Beaulieu. I had to prove my sincerity, however, so must needs must. Call off the dogs, Captain, Dr. McCoy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a family to track down _again._ It's really very annoying, you know, having to find them now, especially because I almost had them last time. I want them to stay put, preferably in a place with lots of trees. I have all the rope I need, and I know how to tie a knot that puts hangmen of ages past to shame. I was just missing trees in Montreal. Good bye for now," he said, reaching out to turn off the screen.

There was no word in any language he spoke even a fragment of to describe how be felt. The wind had been knocked out of his lungs and his heart ached and he felt like someone had stuffed cotton in his ears. Jim allowed himself to rest his face in his palms for a moment before scrubbing his cheeks and drawing a shaky sigh. Death was never easy to deal with, and he hadn't seen family die since Tarsus. Wrenching himself away from that train of thought, he sat up. There wasn't time. Oleander needed to see the message and there was so much to _do_. He needed to contact his Aunts and Matt's father and Sam and the rest of the family. And Bones. He wanted Bones, needed the solid, silent comfort.

He called up the next message and a grim looking Oleander flicked on the screen, his mouth a slash of anger and barely restrained fury in his face. "Jesse killed one of my team members. Took her phaser and ran. Got video of him and I'm sending a heavily armed group to your cousin's home. Comm me back as soon as you get in, I don't care what time it is here. I'll be up. Oleander out."

[Part Five + Epilogue](http://scriblerusday.livejournal.com/32347.html)


	5. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> from [this](http://st-xi-kink-meme.livejournal.com/15838.html?thread=16004318#t16004318) prompt on ST XI kink meme:  _All the crew get fanmail, because of their cuteness and famousness. Jim loves it, Chekov gets more than anybody, Spock thinks it's illogical, Scotty gets sent lots of sandwiches in stasis units. McCoy doesn't get much, and when he does he blushes like a schoolgirl and gets teased mercilessly by the others._

_**Letters 5/5 + Epilogue**_  
 **Title:** Letters  
 **Beta:** the ever-awesome [](http://hyde-the-body.livejournal.com/profile)[**hyde_the_body**](http://hyde-the-body.livejournal.com/)    
 **Fandom:** STxi  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Genre:** Romance, family, suspense, h/c, fluff, mildly angsty  
 **Summary:** from [this](http://st-xi-kink-meme.livejournal.com/15838.html?thread=16004318#t16004318) prompt on ST XI kink meme:  _All the crew get fanmail, because of their cuteness and famousness. Jim loves it, Chekov gets more than anybody, Spock thinks it's illogical, Scotty gets sent lots of sandwiches in stasis units. McCoy doesn't get much, and when he does he blushes like a schoolgirl and gets teased mercilessly by the others.  
But what happens when McCoy starts getting weird stalkery ones? Ones that are sent from places the Enterprise has docked recently?_  
 **A/n:** For [](http://elfsausage.livejournal.com/profile)[**elfsausage**](http://elfsausage.livejournal.com/)  . :) I have to thank Hyde. Absolutely indispensable and helped me out big time (ie, the fight scene is 95% her).

Cross posted at [](http://mccoy-and-kirk.livejournal.com/profile)[**mccoy_and_kirk**](http://mccoy-and-kirk.livejournal.com/)    
[Downloadable complete copy](http://www.scribd.com/doc/61400711)  
[Masterlist](http://scriblerusday.livejournal.com/22734.html)  
Part Four: **([There were more emails from Jesse to both Leonard and Jim.](http://scriblerusday.livejournal.com/23677.html#cutid1) )**

  
Oleander sent them a clip of the feed that had been running everywhere for the last few days: _Riverside, Iowa police seeking murder suspect Jesse Hatcher. Suspect is armed and dangerous. Do not approach the suspect and call your local law enforcement_. Jim didn't think it was enough, but was too busy to really do anything. And the taunting emails they were still getting from Jesse made him so tired he could barely see straight.

"I'm just going to make a filter," he told Bones two weeks after Matt's murder, sitting at his desk and staring at the screen. "It'll forward all his shit directly to Oleander because I don't want to see it anymore."

Bones paused. "I don't know if that's a good idea. Matt's not your only family back in Iowa, right? You need to know who else to warn." He leaned against Jim's desk and sighed. "I can't express how sorry I am about all of this."

Jim looked up at him and wound a finger through his belt loop. "Not your fault."

Covering Jim's hand with his own, Bones said, "Doesn't mean it doesn't feel like it."

Jim stood up and sighed. "Maybe if I keep telling you, you'll get it," he said with something resembling a smile.

An email arrived at Leonard's account a while later.

 _I'm afraid I'm going to be distracted for a while, and I just wanted to let you know that I won't be forgetting you anytime soon. I still have to avenge Jesse, after all._

 _Jake_

There was silence after that. It made Jim, Leonard, and Oleander uneasy, and they waited for weeks - months - for Jesse to make himself known again.

"They can wait for years," Oleander said to Clay on a group comm while the _Enterprise_ circled New Vulcan on a supply drop, eight months after Matt's murder. "And then pop up again when you least expect it."

"Is this your way of telling me we can't go home?" Clay asked, sharp-eyed and irritated. "Because it sounds like you're saying we can't."

Oleander looked at him coolly. "Our assistance has always been mostly optional. That is, for you, Mr. Treadwell. You're welcome to go back to Georgia; just know that we won't be following you there and your safety thereafter is your affair."

Clay shifted, his mouth pressed into a thin line. "So we can't go home?"

The Commander's expression didn't change. "Not at this time. If there hasn't been any word from Hatcher in six more months, you can return. If there's been nothing for a year after that, I'll pull the security detail."

Letting out a long sigh, Clay nodded. "Eighteen more months and then we're home free."

Something in Oleander's eyes said he didn't think so. "I expect a strike within the next twelve - he's shown us he's patient, but I don't think he can last a year and a half without making himself known. So don't count your blessings yet."

"What are you going to do if Jesse reappears after you pull the security detail?" Jim asked.

"This all over again," Oleander replied. "Except we've got a name and a face this time, so hopefully we can catch him."

  
Time rolled on. Jesse was still on the loose, but it had been about three years since there had been hide or hair of him: no messages, ominous flowers, or sightings. Joanna, Jocelyn, and Clay had long since returned to Georgia, and Joanna was talking hopefully about getting another dog.

As Jim and Leonard's first tour drew to a close, though, Jesse reappeared in their lives.

  
 _Dear Dr. McCoy and Captain Kirk,_

 _My, my, how time does fly! It's been so long since we talked last, and I felt I owed you the courtesy of contacting you two again before I came back. I've been following your exploits in the news and I have to say I'm impressed. Clever, resourceful, and immensely successful, the both of you. Jesse would have been so proud, Dr. McCoy! He loved you so much and would have been so happy with your accomplishments. It's such a shame you killed him and such a shame I'm going to have to dispose of you both, and your family, too._

 _I have to ask - did you call off Starfleet? They've been ineffective, if you haven't, because it's not like I've been hiding. I don't even use an alias! Risa's not the top destination for fugitives you know, and I've been living there openly since I had to kill Beaulieu and that security officer. I wasn't terribly worried anyway because they're not really the right actor to find me because the Federation is so big, but I might have expected to have had to move at least once in the last several years. I don't think it had anything to do with Risan authorities neglecting to pass word to Starfleet, either; it really is that they're just that ineffective. It shouldn't be that way. For the safety of the citizens of the Federation, Starfleet should be able to find anyone, anytime._

 _But anyway, Joanna's grown up so much since I last saw her. She's really a credit to you and Jezebel, Dr. McCoy. Well, you, mostly. She can't help that her mother's a whore, I suppose. Did you ever pass along my compliments to her? I really do think she could have gone pro at a ball game of some sort. It's unfortunate that I'll be taking away a future star from the world of sports._

 _Jesse liked baseball a lot. He would have loved to see his step daughter make it to the major league._

 _And Captain? Have you proposed to the Doctor yet? I hope not._

 _Anyway, see you soon!_

 _Jake_

  
Oleander was infuriated by Jesse's taunts.

His eyes flat, he said, "Ordinarily, we wouldn't even be involved with this." He looked at Leonard. "The only reason we are is because of you, Doctor. If it weren't for that, we'd have left it to local authorities."

Flushing a little, Leonard remained silent.

The Commander sighed briefly. "At least we can narrow him down now. Sounds like he's in and around your hometown again, cold comfort though that is." He looked at Leonard. "I've gotten in touch with Sheriff Taylor and he's on it. There's a detail around the Treadwell home as we speak, and my people will be augmenting that and preparing to move them if it becomes necessary."

Leonard nodded. "Thank you, Commander. I appreciate your efforts."

Oleander said, "You're welcome.'

Jim asked, "Do you think he's got the house bugged again?"

Shaking his head, Oleander replied, "First thing I did when I got your message was send someone down there to search the house, and she didn't find anything. The house is clean and I don't think Hatcher's gotten past the detail."

"He did before," Leonard growled. "Almost killed my daughter, too."

"Taylor's had time to set up a solid detail this time, instead of less than an hour," Oleander said. "I don't think he wants to fail you again, Doctor."

Leonard sighed and Jim cut in, "Are you going to talk to Risa?"

"About not letting us know? Definitely," Oleander replied, scowling. "I specifically asked them to keep me posted and gave them the man's name and description. Their failure is unacceptable."

Jim nodded. "Is there anything else we need to know?"

"Not at this time," the commander replied. "Oleander out."

Three weeks passed and they docked at Earth for upgrades before going back out into the black, and not long after that they went to see Joanna. It was going to be a brief visit for safety's sake, but they both felt they needed to see her before going back out into the black. Oleander did the best he could to increase protection as subtly as he could, but Clay was less than thrilled about the visit.

"I still think this is a bad idea," he grumbled, letting them in.

Leonard glowered at him. "It's been five years since I've seen my child and it's only for a couple hours, so you can shut up."

Clay rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted.

"Daddy!" Joanna called as soon as she heard his voice. Grinning, she thumped out to into the living room to greet him, letting him pick her up and hold her close, eleven-almost-twelve or not. Wiggling after she had had enough, Joanna insisted, "Put me down! I'm gettin' too big for this!"

Leonard gave her a smile. "Don't I know it," he said, hiding a sigh. He smiled at her again and leaned in to pull her into another tight hug. He rested his head on hers for a moment. "I missed you."

"Missed you, too," she said, her voice muffled against his shirt and hugging him back. Pulling away, she looked up at him with earnest green eyes. "Did Jim come with you?"

Leonard nodded. "He's talkin’ to Luke, but he'll be in here in a minute."

"Ok," she replied and grinned. "Didja bring me anything?"

He marveled at her ability to find happiness, even surrounded by danger. "Sure did," he said with a smile, and reached into a pocket. He pulled out a box and handed it to her. "Be real careful with it."

She opened the box. "Wow!" Joanna breathed and lifted her present out of the tissue paper.

When they had had shore leave on Betazed, Leonard and Jim had spent time at the bazaar there, trying to pick something out for her. Eventually, he found what he thought was the perfect thing. It was a tiny, delicate clockwork dancer, her clothing made of copper and her hair of brass. There was a key in her back to wind her up, and Leonard help Joanna turn the key and they set her on the table. Bells on her wrists tinkled softly and her dress shifted with each movement.

Joanna gasped in delight. "Thank you, Dad!" She hugged him, and he laughed.

"You're welcome," he replied, turning her gently to pay attention to the dancer, and she plucked the toy off the table when she neared the edge.

Jim appeared at Leonard's shoulder and Joanna grinned hugely. "Jim!" she greeted him, hugging him, too.

"Hey, Jo," he said in reply and chuckled. "You got so big!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm told that's what happens to kids as they get older."

"You're your father's daughter, sarcasm and all," Jim said with a laugh.

She nodded solemnly and then quirked an eyebrow at Jim and her father. "How long are you here for?"

"Just today," Leonard said apologetically and sighed. "Wish it were longer."

Joanna looked sad. "How come?"

Leonard and Jocelyn looked at each other.

"Remember the guy who broke the window?" Jocelyn asked.

"Yeah," Joanna replied and her eyes widened. "Is he back?"

Leonard nodded. "We'd stay, or take you to San Fransisco while we're here, but leaving the house is out of the question and we don't want to draw his attention." He decided she didn't need to know that Jesse was almost certainly aware of where they were at the moment.

She nodded and clung to her father briefly. "Is it always going to be like this?"

"No," Leonard told her, hoping it was true. "Next time we're here, we'll go someplace together, ok?"

Clay had been lurking behind his wife and heaved a frustrated sigh before stomping through the backdoor to stand on screened-off porch. Leonard looked at Jocelyn and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged.

"He hates this," she said, absently watching Jim and Joanna chatter before looking up at him. "It's how he responds."

Leonard nodded, suspecting Clay also blamed him for this years-long mess. He refrained from sighing, just barely. "We won't be here long," he reminded her.

"I know," she replied. "To be honest, that'll probably help his mood."

"Figured," Leonard told her.

"Daaaad," Joanna said, tugging on his shirt. "Jim's bein' stubborn. He won't tell me if he got me anything or not!"

Leonard raised an eyebrow at Jim, who was grinning at him over his shoulder. "Well? You gonna give her what you picked up on Betazed?"

"Of course," Jim replied. "Just gotta fish it out of my bag." He began to rummage around in the knapsack he had brought and pulled out a tiny box. He racked his brain for days before he remembered that at her age, his female cousins had been obsessed with glass figurines, and had searched and searched until he found what he hoped was an acceptable present.

It was a delicately wrought version of a Muktok flower, small but brilliantly colored and surrounded by a thin glass sphere, resting on a polished steel base. As she shifted it, the flower chimed gently and she grinned. Carefully setting it on the nearby coffee table, she hugged him again. "It's beautiful," she told him happily. "I love it!"

"Good," Jim replied with a smile. "I'm happy you like it."

She opened her mouth to reply but a chorus of yelling voices and a howl of agony echoed through the house from the back yard interrupted her. Jim glanced at Leonard and Jocelyn, and when they nodded, he got up to check the situation. Clay was crumpled on the doorstep, and Jesse, grinning like the maniac he was, stood over him with a Starfeet phaser in hand.

"Hello, Captain. I see I caught you at a good time," he greeted, training his phaser on Jim's face and ignoring the yelling Starfleet team and sheriffs as they closed in. His eyes flickered from Jim’s face to the open door behind him. "Everyone's here I tr--"

As he wrenched Jesse’s wrist aside, Jim was immensely grateful that he either had no martial arts training or was too stunned to act on it. Jesse’s hand tightened reflexively around the trigger, letting off a single shot of phaserfire harmlessly at the ground.

Jim yanked Jesse’s gun arm towards himself, unbalancing the man and making him stagger forward. Jim slid his feet out and bent down, elbow out and ready for the stalker’s gut.

Jesse dropped the phaser in order to grab onto Jim’s wrist, effectively buying himself enough purchase to twist around and get the elbow in the ribs instead. He retaliated with a punch aimed at Jim’s head.

The captain ducked lower, snaking his arm from Jesse’s grip and snagging his punching arm as it fully extended, using his attacker’s momentum to tug him forward against his hip and off the ground....

...causing the bastard to fall flat on his back, wind rushing out of him with a _whoosh_. Jim grabbed and arm and rolled him over on his stomach, chicken-winging him, and pinning him to the ground with a knee between the shoulder blades.

“Jesse Hatcher, you’re under arrest” Luke said, taking over for Jim. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them over Jesse’s wrists, proceeding to read the man his rights between gritted teeth.

Bones was still treating Clay, worrying his lower lip as he knelt to run the tricorder over the prone man, Jocelyn hovering behind him. Jim suspected he was concerned because Clay was still knocked out.

Eventually, Leonard sat back on his heels, still looking concerned. “We should get him to a hospital.”

Jocelyn’s eyes widened. “Is he going to be ok?” she asked.

Bones nodded. “Yeah, he’s just got a concussion. It’s worrying that he’s still unconscious, and I’d like to get him better treatment than a field kit can provide.”

Clay shifted and sat up, groaning softly. He promptly leaned over and threw up violently before looking blearily at his wife over Bone’s shoulder. “Joss, what happened?”

“Yep,” Bones said, “We’re gonna get you to the hospital.” He looked at a very worried Jocelyn. “Comm for an ambulence. And Jim,” he added, “would you go sit with Jo for a bit?”

  
 _Starfleet Stalker Trial Concludes: Hatcher Guilty, Sentenced to Life_

 _Jesse Hatcher, the man who stalked Dr. Leonard McCoy of the_ USS Enterprise _for five years and murdered two people has been sentenced to life in prison for murder.  
Dr. McCoy, who smuggled the future Captain Kirk aboard the _Enterprise _, first came to the attention of Hatcher in the aftermath of the Narada Battles, when the doctor was lauded as a hero. The succeeding year found Hatcher constantly sending Dr. McCoy love letters, but when he was rejected, Hatcher sought vengance for years, stalking Dr. McCoy’s family, sending threatening letters, attempting to kill his young daughter..._

The case was considerably more publicized than anybody involved wanted, but it concluded happily enough. Jesse Hatcher was to be locked away, far from anyone he could hurt, and they could get on with their lives. Jim and Leonard went back to being intrepid explorers, and Jocelyn, Clay, and Joanna went back to Georgia...after stopping by Matt’s old farm (still being run by his sister) to get a dog. Joanna selected a blue-eyed and very fluffy puppy, whom she named Bear, after the growly noises he frequently made. She bombarded Jim and Bones with pictures of Bear, who was in her opinion the best and smartest dog ever.

Even if he did poop on the floor every now and then.  


  
  
Leonard had absolutely no reason to believe he would be rejected. He had done this before and had been successful, and he and Jim had been together a hell of a lot longer and through a lot more shit than he had with Jocelyn. Yet, he found himself nervously wiping his palms off on his jeans and he was sure that if he threw up, it would be all butterflies. Leonard hoped he was doing this right.

Jim strolled into their quarters, looking like he had had a good day and smiling faintly as he kicked off his boots. He raised an interested eyebrow when he saw Leonard, artfully draped over their couch in the pair of jeans Jim liked best on him and Jim’s old Academy shirt.

“Stealing my clothes again, I see,” he said, stripping off his own shirt and tossing it near the laundry chute.

“Would you rather I didn’t?” Leonard asked, picking up the PADD he had left on the coffee table.

“I didn’t say that,” Jim said, stepping out of his pants and rummaging in their drawers for fresh clothing.

Leonard watched Jim’s ass interestedly. “Does this give me licence to steal your shirts whenever I want?”

Jim turned around and gave him a considering look. “Sure, as long as you realize that that gives me licence to jump you whenever I want.”

“You do that anyway,” Leonard said, idly running his thumb over his denim covered knee.

Tilting his head a little, Jim studied him and then gave him a sly smile. “I get the feeling you have a surprise.”

“I dunno about _surprise_ per se, but, yeah, there’s somethin’.”

“Well,” Jim said, “spit it out.”

Swallowing, Leonard screwed up his courage. “Remember what my cousin Michelle asked Joanna about all those years ago?”

“Was she the one who asked when I was gonna marry you?” Jim asked.

Nodding, Leonard said, “Want to make it happen?”

“What, ask you, or just--?”

“Say yes?” Leonard interjected quickly.

“Yeah, that.” Jim was grinning and his eyes twinkled. “So, yes.”

Leonard found himself smiling back as his gut relaxed and his pulse slowed. “When did you want to?”

“When we get back to Earth? It’s only a few more months, and what’s a couple months in the face of, god, eleven years, isn’t it?” Jim said, looking surprised.

Leonard nodded. “Yep. Eleven years with the prettiest, most obnoxious daredevil of a captain I know.”

Jim turned up his nose. “You mean the handsomest, most swashbuckling captain you know,” he corrected before beaming. “So we’re really gonna get married?”

“We really are,” Leonard said and grinned himself when a helplessly smiling Jim climbed into his lap.

“Love you,” Jim murmured before kissing him.

  
 _Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy Tie the Knot!_

 _The famous Captain Kirk and his CMO Dr. Leonard McCoy were married before a Justice of the Peace, their family and friends in attendance. Five years ago, the two were stalked by murderer Jesse Hatcher..._

“Why are you readin’ that old gossip rag?” Leonard asked idly, running his hand through Jim’s hair, Jim’s head pillowed on his shoulder.

“I want to know what everybody else is saying so I can correct them.”

“No,” Leonard disagreed. “You just wanna see them call you a catch, you vain bastard.”

Jim pouted and looked up at Leonard the most their positions allowed for it. “Am not.”

“Are, too,” Leonard said. “I love you anyway.”

Jim smiled again and turned on his side, wrapping an arm around him tight. “Love you, too,” he murmured, carelessly dropping the magazine over the back of the couch to curl up against Leonard instead.


End file.
